Starting Fresh
by booklover112358
Summary: A beautiful, Greek teenager is forced to make difficult decisions after waking up from a coma that left her with amnesia. Her memories return to her in the form of her dreams, but she pretends that nothing is wrong with her. Secrets are exposed, relationships tested, and tough decisions throughout.


A Greek girl in a strange room feebly opened her eyes and looked around confused. The makeshift hospital room she found herself in was completely unknown to her. There was no one in the room, but there were plenty of get-well cards and flowers on the table next to her bed. She reached over to examine one of the cards, but found that her movements were restricted by the equipment she was hooked up to. A wave of panic swept over her, but she quickly subdued it. She didn't know where she was or why she was there, but there was bound to be something in the cards that might provoke her memory. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the closest cards to her bed and read through them.

"Adrasteia, get well soon. I miss my only daughter, and count the days until you come home again. Your father, Papias"

The other letters were from friends, but she didn't recognize their names or their handwriting. The only thing she gleaned from the cards was that she had been asleep for three weeks and her entire village missed her. As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember anything about her life.

A bright light hit her face, and she looked over to see what was going on. A ray of sunlight was reflecting on a mirror propped up against her flowers and was hitting her square in the eye. She reached over to turn the mirror over, but as she rotated it, she caught a reflection of herself and gasped silently.

"I'm beautiful," Adrasteia said to herself. She had a golden tan that boasted of her Greek origins and long, thick, black hair that framed her ovular face. Her dark eyes were large, and her eyelashes were very full. Her lips were pink and her skin was smooth and healthy.

Muted voices coming from just outside her door had Adrasteia hurrying to replace the mirror and feign sleep. The door opened and Adrasteia heard two people walking in. From the sound of the voices, one was a young woman and the other was a teenage boy.

"Ms. Byrani, when is she going to wake up?" asked the upset teenage boy. Without opening her eyes, Adrasteia could picture the face of the young man perfectly. It was the first thing she had remembered so far. He had short, curly hair and skin tanned from hard work under the sun. His eyes were very kind and Adrasteia imagined them full of the worry that was clear in his voice.

The young woman replied, "There is no way of knowing. My father is gone and I know very little about medicine. I was able to connect her to this monitor, but I can tell you nothing other than she is not dead." The young woman paused for a moment before asking, "How exactly do you know Adrasteia?"

"Never mind, could you wait for me outside? I wish to speak to Adrasteia in private for a while." The woman muttered her agreement and shuffled out. As the door shut, Adrasteia felt the young man sit on her bed and grab her hand. Her heart started to beat faster, and she struggled to slow it down.

"Adrasteia," began the young man, "please wake. It's Eutakio." Eutakio sighed deeply and continued, "You have no idea how much I've missed you. No one will tell me anything because they don't know me. I don't know how much you've told your family about our meetings by the hidden grotto, so I say nothing. All I know is this: I can barely sleep at night because of my worry for you. After you didn't come to see me for a week, I came in search of you and I found you here. I've never seen you look so fragile." His voice cracked on the word 'fragile,' and he took a moment to steady himself. "Adrasteia, my love, please spare me and open your eyes." Eutakio was silent for a minute before sighing deeply and kissing her on the forehead. "I will not forget you, dear Adrasteia. I will continue my trips to our grotto and wait for you. In one week's time, I will return to this miserable room to see you again if you are still unwell. Goodbye for now."

Adrasteia felt Eutakio place something under her pillow before he walked out of the room. She waited for what seemed an eternity to be sure that she was alone before opening her eyes. Stifling the tears that threatened to burst, she looked under her pillow and found the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. Its light purple petals were soft and the fragrance reminded her of sunshine and a bubbly creek.

As no one else entered her room that day, Adrasteia read more of her get-well cards and reflected on the mystery of who she was, where she was, why she was there, and who the mysterious Eutakio was...


End file.
